Ab Origine
by Orin Drake
Summary: And what happens after the shining happy ending..? Oh how our mighty have fallen.
1. Chapter 1

"Ab Origine" and the general, basic concept/story of "Ab Origine" are copyright Orin Drake 2006. _Kingdom Hearts_, all characters and generally all cool places are copyright Square-Enix and Disney, forever and ever and ever. Or so I'm assuming.

Background: My first tentative steps into... exploration. I've had the fortune of good philosophical conversation regarding the games and ideas/theories/rumors surrounding them (and I can't thank you guys enough for that). Of course, I can't seem to delve into anything that deeply and not emerge with some "interesting ideas", so... I truly hope this eventually manages to reflect the weird crap going on in my head. Right now there are only bits and pieces... which is probably pretty clear here.

_"We turn away to face the cold, enduring chill_  
_As the day begs the night for mercy love..."_ - "One Tree Hill", U2

Ab Origine  
by Orin Drake

Rancia. The word in his head caught like the heat and dust in his throat. Rancia... crossroads. The beginning, middle, and end of everything.

Intellectually, he knew there had been a time before. A time that did not involve this non-world, this empty space populated by too many things. Nightmares. Monsters. People. Impossible to tell the difference, anymore. He'd long since abandoned his moral fears and had begun to slaughter all that rushed toward him.

There _had_ to have been a time before Rancia. Before the color of sand and blood and the specific, consuming black of death and decay were the only tones he could remember. He wished he could grasp those memories. Wished he understood why he tried.

Rancia took souls. Lives and hearts and bodies and souls--he knew he should remember the ones he'd left behind. And why.

The frustration drove him, though. Provided his battery, his energy behind every slash and hit and guard and block and kill kill kill because if you don't you will be consumed by the abyss. Something deep inside told him that he'd stared into those depths before... and what had looked back at him was the reason he didn't sleep.

* * *

"Peace." He had answered, once. "I want peace. Stillness. An ending."

The man had shaken his head, mild and surprised laughter drawn from his lips. The boy had never answered his question before. His inquiry as to what was desired had always been met with a glare or a grunt at best. Then the boy would simply walk away, go to heal and lick the wounds below the surface and prepare for the next time.

Surprised though the man was, he did not miss his opportunity to reward the boy's new spoken thought. "That would be the breaking of a promise sworn on many lives. I cannot do this. Neither can you."

There was silence. A very long, static silence. The boy turned on his heel and walked away.

Casually left behind as usual, the man merely watched him walk away. There was an ache inside, somewhere... but he crushed the wistful moment of wondering what it could be. Other things to do, other thoughts to linger on. Spent for the moment, he vanished.

* * *

Lost to all worlds. Once-youth turned empty. And still it would not let him go, would not let him _die_...

_Sleep._ The voice suggested more than ordered.

"Then I'll dream." The silver-haired not-quite-man responded, voice raw. He'd been screaming again. Crying out all of his anguish to the emptiness in hopes that perhaps someone would hear him. Someone... real.

_I can stop you from dream--_

"No." He hissed at the very thought. "Just... no."

A sigh from within. _I would not steal your memories from you. I would only allow you rest._

"No." He repeated, though softer. More civil.

A long silence stretched on. No winds stirred, and no sounds besides a single pattern of breath. _At the very least_, the voice finally interrupted, _You could be kind enough to entertain me for a moment's time._

A deep breath replaced the curse that he barely kept inside. "Fine. What story do you want me to tell you?"

There was a chuckle at being treated like a child. _How about... that night, again. When you left the island._

* * *

Their anchor. Their all-important proof that at least one thing was safe, was sacred. She... might have disagreed.

* * *

A very, _very_ vague first chapter. No, you're not meant to know anything at this point. Mostly because _I_ don't know anything yet, either. Just mental images and music...

If you'd like to be e-mailed when I update, drop me a line with whatever story/stories/website you'd like me to inform you of.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ab Origine" and the general, basic concept/story of "Ab Origine" are copyright Orin Drake 2006. _Kingdom Hearts_, all characters and generally all cool places are copyright Square-Enix and Disney, forever and ever and ever. Or so I'm assuming.

Background: My first tentative steps into... exploration. I've had the fortune of good philosophical conversation regarding the games and ideas/theories/rumors surrounding them (and I can't thank you guys enough for that). Of course, I can't seem to delve into anything that deeply and not emerge with some "interesting ideas", so... I truly hope this eventually manages to reflect the weird crap going on in my head. I guess right now I should stamp this with a great big "AU" warning since... even I'm not sure which direction it's going to take off in.

_"The sun so bright it leaves no shadows_  
_Only scars carved into stone_  
_On the face of earth..."_ - "One Tree Hill", U2

Ab Origine  
Chapter 2  
by Orin Drake

He didn't give himself the time to think. To wonder. And certainly not to question. He had too many duties to perform, anyway.

He'd never been given a title, and there were too many irritatingly out of focus names that roamed his head in the silence to be able to pick one for himself. He was merely... "here". To do whatever it was he was ordered to do by the specter... or whatever it might be.

Clean-up, maybe. Not so much defender, since he wasn't really aware of what he was defending. Asking about it would infer that he wanted to know, which he was rather certain he did not. Thinking beyond that point was too much of a danger.

He killed. Not for a "living"--but because that was what he was for. There was no personal gain, no feeling of either triumph nor guilt. He eradicated the dangers across the landscape. That was his purpose. That was what bound his will to his armor.

* * *

He only had so much power, despite his incredible will. Most of the time all he could do was lounge around his golden cage... though most of that time was not particularly golden. It was gilded in pretense, false strength crumbling from pain and guilt. To be honest... he felt for the poor boy-turned-incomplete-man. Not that the admission would be accepted in a friendly fashion.

Regardless of knowing better, he spoke inside the youth's mind. _I believe you've been pacing the cliffs for quite long enough._

The response was a growl. "I'm not ready to stop."

_Clearly._ A sigh. _But perhaps you could stop to consider the idea that _I _may require a bit of rest from this incessant hunt for nothing..._

"Fuck _you_." Firmly replied. And he meant it.

Another sigh from the pseudo-demon within. He really had no choice but to embrace patience.

* * *

As usual, dreams. Terrible dreams of peace and warmth, a sun-lit beach and bright smiles... and those blue eyes. So close. That touch... that bliss he felt inside...

The sound of the ocean. Waves hitting the shore, the salt air through his lungs. A gull cawing somewhere behind him... calm and warm in the sun, breeze only light enough to be a presence.

That bliss... that peace of mind...

Destroyed. He woke... and he screamed.

* * *

She liked to pretend she was just a normal girl, sometimes. Dating and friends and school... so regular. So usual.

She remembered, though. She was the only one. Her boys... her best friends were... forgotten, by the rest. As if they never existed at all. As such, there was no one to talk to. Or, at least, no one outside.

It wasn't lonely, so much. If nothing else, there was always the soothing presence within. Even so... she longed for her two best friends. The two that had made her promise to stay and live and be safe.

When she gazed out her bedroom window to see the stars at night... she wished very much that she'd never made that promise.

* * *

So we're... getting a little further along. These will get longer, really. And make more sense. (Actually, I'm just really hoping for that last part.) Characters finally revealed... soon.

If you'd like to be e-mailed when I update, drop me a line with whatever story/stories/website you'd like me to inform you of.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ab Origine" and the general, basic concept/story of "Ab Origine" are copyright Orin Drake 2006. _Kingdom Hearts_, all characters and generally all cool places are copyright Square-Enix and Disney, forever and ever and ever. Or so I'm assuming.

Background: My first tentative steps into... exploration. I've had the fortune of good philosophical conversation regarding the games and ideas/theories/rumors surrounding them (and I can't thank you guys enough for that). Of course, I can't seem to delve into anything that deeply and not emerge with some "interesting ideas", so... I truly hope this eventually manages to reflect the weird crap going on in my head. **_Sorta AU--I'll let you know in a few months._**

_"The moon is up and over One Tree Hill_  
_We see the sun go down in your eyes..."_ - "One Tree Hill", U2

Ab Origine  
Chapter 3  
by Orin Drake

All hearts begin in Darkness. Or so someone had told him.

Well, not _him_, exactly. He'd... overheard it. Sort of.

When Roxas had been wrest from Sora, neither of them had known it. _Something_ happened, clearly--from one entity, two. Separate. But incomplete.

Despite what Roxas was, he didn't know that much about Darkness. Nor did he harbor any intense knowledge of hearts. He'd suspected things... uncovered bits and pieces and ideas to remember, to muse over and carry on with him...

He'd learned quiet a bit about the things beyond Darkness and Light, however. Part of Sora, but apart--he partially lived the other boy's life... and had learned of relief. Of what "home" really meant. Of true friends and... and _desire_ for peace of mind. He learned... that he longed. But also, that he was not meant to long. Not as he was.

It wasn't that Roxas was _unhappy_. He had Sora, Sora's hopes and dreams and emotions. He had Namine and a front row seat to a "normal" life... or as normal as it could get with those guys. He was so much more complete than he'd ever dreamed possible. It was actually nice. Very nice. For a while.

* * *

And then a bottle had come to the island. Glass and paper and some sense of suspended, impending _something_--a letter from the king. So soon--too soon after they'd earned their rest. They'd been needed again. Asked to leave the island, to again lend their power.

It had taken everything within Sora, Riku and Roxas to convince Kairi and Namine to stay on the island. They'd honestly considered tying Kairi to the dock and then running the other direction... but in the end, the power of sheer vindictiveness might well have lead her directly after them.

At last, Kairi promised to stay. To "hold down the home front", to stay safe and to guide them back when they were done. Namine promised to protect her... to make sure she'd keep her promise.

* * *

Things happened. So many things. Sora and Riku had gotten split up, and then...

It had been too much. It had been one, quiet moment. One sharp realization. Sora felt the weight of all existence on his shoulders. Where did the hearts go when they fell from Kingdom Hearts... what if the Heartless still retained something of their human counterpoints... what if Nobodies could create their own hearts...

What if he'd _killed people_? Not Heartless or Nobodies, not labels or ideals or points of speculation--what if he'd _killed people_!

It snowballed in a world where he was alone and all was silent. One thought after another. Lack of sleep, over-use of adrenaline, lack of friends surrounding him...

Roxas tried. A soft voice at first, reassuring. Then worried. Talking turned to screaming. Pleas of desperation. Trying to force memories or mental images into Sora's mind, reminding him that he had friends, that he'd been fighting for the Light, that Riku would show up to meet with him and they could go back home soon, that King Mickey never would have chosen him if he'd been so far in the wrong--

But wise kings made mistakes. Ansem had been the living proof... before Sora had failed to save him. That was enough to push Roxas' presence away. Riku wasn't there to steady him. Kairi was a million worlds away. The spiral turned--straight down.

Sora couldn't hear him anymore. Sora couldn't hear _anyone_ anymore.

And when the Keyblade Master let go... Roxas was plunged into Darkness. A steady, complete, Nothingness (Oblivion) that being a Nobody could never have prepared him for. At least then there had been _life_, there had been worlds and exploration and senses...

Sora abandoned his own heart. Gave up his soul.

Roxas... was left to the abyss.

* * *

Ouch, I know. And still things haven't been cleared up, have they? grin Soon, soon. You know I only torture the characters I love. (That's my story.)

If you'd like to be e-mailed when I update, drop me a line with whatever story/stories/website you'd like me to inform you of.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ab Origine" and the general, basic concept/story of "Ab Origine" are copyright Orin Drake 2006. _Kingdom Hearts_, all characters and generally all cool places are copyright Square-Enix and Disney, forever and ever and ever. Or so I'm assuming.

Background: My first tentative steps into... exploration. I've had the fortune of good philosophical conversation regarding the games and ideas/theories/rumors surrounding them (and I can't thank you guys enough for that). Of course, I can't seem to delve into anything that deeply and not emerge with some "interesting ideas", so... I truly hope this eventually manages to reflect the weird crap going on in my head. **_Sorta AU--I'll let you know in a few months._**

_"You run like river, oh like a sea_  
_You run like a river runs to the sea..."_ - "One Tree Hill", U2

Ab Origine  
Chapter 4: First Shuffle  
by Orin Drake

Separated in battle. What an idiot he was not to have glanced over his shoulder, just once. Just _once_ to see what Sora was trying to do. Riku had only realized the diversion a second after it was too late to move.

A mistake, as simple as that--but a timely one. Sora had used the last of his remaining energy to open a dark portal and slip through. Riku knew he could have opened his own and followed, but then that disgusting monstrosity headed straight for him might have made it through after. Whatever world the Keyblade Master had chosen to slip into would undoubtedly not have appreciated a mutated Heartless scurrying around in search of hearts and violence.

Fight, then. That was his option. Fight, rest, try to find some food, and then he'd have the energy and concentration necessary to open a portal to Sora again. An annoyance, to say the least. But soon, very soon, would be able to go home.

* * *

_You really have no need to be so hard on yourself._ The voice inside suggested quietly.

Riku grunted, his attempt at sleeping interrupted. "What? Why are you so damn interested?"

_Your lack of sleep is interrupting my delicate thought process._ The response just shy of complete sarcasm. _It's a cycle. You blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault, losing sleep, obsessing--you were too busy fighting. You missed a cue. Sora merely had a bit of "bad timing". It's certainly not the first time._

"Don't use his name." The youth sighed, quietly.

An old nit-pick. And one that was promptly ignored, as always. _Let it go. Rest. And then you and Sora will manage to get back more quickly._

"Anything else?" Riku seethed.

An amused sound. _Well, since I've been _invited_--_

"Xehanort. Shut up."

There was a mild smugness radiating from the trapped entity within, having been called by name. It was a rare enough occurrence to be considered perhaps a minor miracle. He rewarded the boy with a chuckle... and then his wish, if only for a little while.

* * *

Kairi woke from a dead sleep. There was a scream waiting in her throat, clutching at her chest. Hands fisted in a death grip around the blankets, she found herself too terrified to make a sound.

Namine managed. An agonized wail bridged the distance between them. Sora's heart was... _Gone._ A sobbed word. Aching and alone.

They reached out for Riku's heart in panic--all was static. He was disconnected... and not with Sora.

Throwing the bedcovers off, Kairi raced around for clothes and supplies. The _hell_ she was staying put.

Namine let go a shuddering sigh, feeling a bit more comforted. She felt just awful for throwing her promise to keep Kairi on the island by the wayside, but... they'd understand.

* * *

Da-da-da-dum. ...Or maybe not. These will eventually get longer and actually be _a story_, somewhat _explaining_ a thing or two. No, seriously.

If you'd like to be e-mailed when I update, drop me a line with whatever story/stories/website you'd like me to inform you of.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ab Origine" and the general, basic concept/story of "Ab Origine" are copyright Orin Drake 2006. _Kingdom Hearts_, all characters and generally all cool places are copyright Square-Enix and Disney, forever and ever and ever. Or so I'm assuming.

Background: My first tentative steps into... exploration. I've had the fortune of good philosophical conversation regarding the games and ideas/theories/rumors surrounding them (and I can't thank you guys enough for that). Of course, I can't seem to delve into anything that deeply and not emerge with some "interesting ideas", so... I truly hope this eventually manages to reflect the weird crap going on in my head. **_Sorta AU--I'll let you know in a few months._**

_"And in the world a heart of darkness_  
_A fire zone..."_ - "One Tree Hill", U2

Ab Origine  
Chapter 5  
by Orin Drake

_Wake up! Riku!_

Xehanort was used to the blankness that settled over his own consciousness when Riku slept. Most often, he used the lack of sensory distraction to rest himself. When _he'd_ awoken first to find that same deep blankness surrounding him, something seemed enormously wrong.

_Riku! Open your eyes!_

_--_Slipping. It was a distinct _sensation_, though not quite physical. He hadn't a body of his own... yet he knew it wasn't his host feeling it.

Cold. Tendrils of cold and biting--

_Riku!!!_

--Pulling, scratching, rending--

_--Cold..?_

Ripped away completely.

---------------

Thud.

Thud-thud.

Thud. Thud. Thud-thud.

Thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud--

"Light..."

The voice was painful and foreign. Painful, because his throat was dry. Foreign, because...

His eyes opened--then closed abruptly. The light was _searing_...

Light. Eyes. Heat. Voice. A heartbeat.

Xehanort felt the breath in his lungs. _His lungs._ He had a beat pulsating in his head painfully--but it was a _heartbeat_. And--

"What are you?"

The unexpected question from an unseen source was enough cause to flinch. Xehanort tried again to open his eyes, preparing for another painful burst of light--but a shadow fell across his vision. He blinked several times, willing his vision to clear and hoping an answer would come. Something, anything; "I'm..."

"You speak." The towering thing above him commented.

"Of course I..." Xehanort's voice left him as his eyes finally took in the sight before him. He was laying flat on the ground, staring directly up into... armor. A dark, all-encompassing suit of armor with sharp lines and sharp points atop the helmet. Nowhere was a face visible, only a noticeable visor pointed in his direction. "What... where am I?"

Utter, immobile silence from the armor above. Not a flinch, not so much as the quiver of a finger for what easily could have been hours. At last there seemed to be some kind of decision reached. "Rancia."

His tongue felt foreign. There was... something in that name... but Xehanort was certain he'd never encountered it before. Not before or after the madness... and he was sure he'd have been sent into a painful flashback if he'd known the word during his downfall. He opened his mouth, prepared to repeat the word... but couldn't. Instead, he calmed himself and allowed his curiosity to drive his courage. "Who are you?"

No answer came. Just the unmoving stare of the visor, armor glinting in the light of day. After the moment seemed stretched to grasp for infinity, it finally spoke again. "You are the only other living thing I've ever seen here. You must be what I was waiting for."

---------------

The pounding in his head was quite unwelcome. Keeping his eyes closed in hopes that he may be able to fall back to sleep, Riku went over the events of the day previous. A drunken binge was not on that list, nor was cracking his skull against stone. The headache did not belong there. He groaned, muttering, "What the hell were you doing while I was asleep?"

The silence was a little unnerving. Assuming the bastard trapped in his head was merely attempting to ignore his question, Riku prodded further. "Come on. I think I deserve a _reason_ why I can't think straight."

Nothing. Not even a chuckle. And he'd _baited_ a seething remark with his words... "Hey."

Panic was starting to set in. Not that it was a conscious thing, but the pounding in his head was matched rather swiftly by the pounding in his chest. Desperate times... "Xehanort..? Are you there?"

He was able to notice it, then. Something... cold and empty. Something missing. "_Xehanort?!_ Answer me!"

---------------

"What in all the worlds do you mean?"

The visor tilted toward him slightly, the armor otherwise unmoving. "I was to wait. For the one who would give me purpose."

Xehanort blinked stupidly. "And... how do you know that?"

"It's what I'm here for." The response was simple, direct... and toneless.

Less than an answer, at best. At worst, a maddening conversation he still couldn't believe he was having. He sighed to himself, utterly lost in every way imaginable... but one. He remembered his life in Radiant Garden, and all of the scientific method and social communication he'd learned. Perhaps, if he kept calm, and if he managed to take enough mental notes, he could uncover some semblance of sense. Perhaps a stunningly obvious question ought to come first. "Are you quite certain _I_ am the one to give you purpose?"

A long silence followed... then no answer came as the figure finally stepped back and away. It merely waited there like a guardian statue, sun glinting painfully off the armor.

Xehanort weakly lifted an arm to rest over his eyes, protecting from the too-bright light suddenly filling his vision. In a rush of awkward sensation, he heard his name clearly echo in the back of his thoughts. Blinking, he thought perhaps he even recognized the mental "voice". _Riku?_

It all fell apart then. The armor, the sun, the arm above him--his very body shattered, crumbled, disintegrated into cold, and then familiar, nothingness. He'd have cried out if he could, pained by the loss of _himself_, of his own private thoughts and senses. He was falling, and then he was nowhere, and then he was back where it seemed he would always belong.

---------------

It was almost as if Riku felt a man's full body slam into his mind--dizzying, confusing, but... somehow just a little bit comforting. "Xehanort?" he tried again, softer.

There was a tremble, inside. A clench of his stomach and of his mind. Finally, quietly, _"Yes..?"_

Perhaps relief would have been a decent thing to feel. But Riku found his fists clenched, hardly able to keep the volume of his voice down. "Why the _hell_ weren't you answering?!"

_"I..."_ the voice inside trailed off, uncertain of where to begin let alone what the answer actually was. _"Something... something is happening."_

* * *

Well that explained a whole lot of nothing, didn't it?

If you'd like to be e-mailed when I update, drop me a line with whatever story/stories/website you'd like me to inform you of.


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